Apparatus for showing pictures in relief.



G. E. R. SCHNEIDER. APPARATUS FOR. sglowme PICTURES IN RELIEF.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 5. 1914.

Patented Jan. 12, 1915.

PICILUEE MACHINE I BALCO N Y AUDIENCE STAGE ORCHES- TRA INVENTOR, 6725a: ERJah/Z'ez'dfl;

BY A

WITNESSES: WWW/ 7 X1" mfZ/ i'ww ATTORNEY. I

CHARLES E. R. SCHNEIDER, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

Q APPARATUS FOR SHOWING PICTURES IN RELIEF.

riaaccegf To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, CnARLEs E. R.

SCHNEIDER, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of New Haven, in the county of Newllaven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatuses for Showing Pictures lIlRellBf, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatuses for theexhibition of pictures for amusement being to apquire visual effects of great interest and attractivenessr especially occasioned by imparting the aspect of bulk and reality to the projected image and the distance of such image relatively to the showing which is also made, apparently as a background, of a'landscape or accessories.

The invention as carried out-on-a stage in a theater, playhouse or hall comprises a transparent plate mounted at an inclination to the line of vision of the people in the audience, a screen behind the plate and a projecting machine or machines, such as a moving picture machine or a stereopticon, or both, to be alternately or simultaneously used for the projection of the moving or still pictures.

The apparatus, furthermore, comprises a sheet such as canvas or other suitable. material having scenery or accessories painted or depicted thereon, such sheet having its location above the glass plate, and by reason of being brightly illuminated is operable to cast the reflection of the landscape scenery or accessories onto the glass plate.

The invention is described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and is set forth in the claims. o

In the. drawings :Fi gure 1 is a sectional elevation, more or less diagrammatical,

; showing the preferred combination and arrangement of parts for acquiring the desired visual and illusory efi'ects. Fig. 2 is a plan view as seen below the line 2+2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is -an' inverted plan viewof an overhead landscape bearing sheet.

A transparent plate A of glass or other suitable material is set on the stage illuminated by the the audience'at an-angle of about 45 degrees and is suitably, forward of 'a back screen B which advantageously may be of White canvas or white paper;

Directly above the inclined glass-plate A Specification of Letters Patent.

Application-filed October 5, 1914. Serial No. 865,21-

accessories, and this by reason purposes,,the object thereoffoot lights as usual facing" Patented J an. 12, 1915.

is a sheet D more or less near y :11, having painted or otherwise produced thereon, in colors, a landscape, scenery or I of the spot lights C concentrated thereon is very brightly illuminated, and is reflected as a still picture on the glass plate. The illumination from the lights 0 beingv concentrated and directed onto the overhead landscape sheet leaves the back screen. relatively darkened. The glass is so set behind wings or flies that the edges thereof are not observable and the glass is really not perceptible to'the audience, and the usual proscenium or foot lights because of the wings or flies impart to the plate A and the back screen B a lessened or comparatively obscured illumination.

The films or plates employed in the proecting machine for causing the image to be observed, as hereinafter set forth, are made opaque throughout with the exception of the image so that in the projection little or no light, excepting that by which the image itself is clined glass plate A onto the back screen B; and one who would peer behind the inclined glass plate would perceive the image standing brightly on the forward side of the background screen, all portions of the surface of which other than that comprised in the projected brightly appearing image being non-illuminated.

The moving pictures from a projecting upon and seen on the back screen appears to be at the location of the glass, that'is .forward of the reflected still icture, scenery or HCCGSSOIIGSQ'blIl) the principal e,fi'ect and the herent in ,thisinvention-consists in the f plastic effect one of greatest impoPtanceand-value' inin relief. the same as observable in'a stereoscope. This is'acounted for by reason of the distance between the inclined glass showing the landscape and the back screen on which the image is actually reflected, and

projected, is thrown through the in-' that s the projected moving picture or stereopticon image stands out which being viewed through the glass, acquires the aspect of bulk, relief and distance.

The line of projection from the moving picture machine or from the stereopticon may be from a level just above the stage or from any of the galleries no matter how high, the angle of projection through the glass being immaterial; such height of projection may be on any lateral slant, and the apparent distance of the image, as viewed, seemingly forward of the landscape or still picture will'begreater or less according to the height at which the ceiling sheet bearing the painted landscape is above thetop of the inclined glass.

I claim 1. In an apparatus ofthe character described, in combination, a transparent platemounted at an incline to the line of vision of an observer, a screen behind the plate and a mounted at an incline to the line of vision of an observer, a screen behind the plate, and a projecting machine by-which a picture is thrown through the transparent plate and onto the screen, and a sheet havxngm landscape or accessories thereon arranged atan angle to the transparent plate and from which the reflection of the picture thereon is thrown onto said plate.

Signed by me at Springfield, Mass, in

presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES E. R. SCHNEIDER.

Witnesses:

HERBERT E. RUMRILL, WM; S. BELLOWS. 

